Field of the Invention
This invention relates especially to the packaging of cylindrical shaped food articles, such as sausages or cheeses encased in synthetic film material. Such articles may be prepared in cartridge packaging machines, and each article is closed at its ends by a clip. Each machine may deliver the product, such as encased sausages, at varying speeds, in end to end random spaced relationship along side by side conveyor lanes, ultimately to be discharged into a carrier array of an endless conveyor moving transversely to the conveyor lanes. The carriers of the endless conveyor are unloaded as an array thereof simultaneously to conveyor lanes of a second lane conveyor where the articles again move in end to end fashion in side by side lanes.
Ultimately, the articles are moved from the last conveyor to structure counting the articles and placing them in groups for final packaging. Such latter structure forms part of patent application Ser. No. 139,853 filed Apr. 14, 1980 and entitled "Apparatus for Accumulating and Stacking Articles," assigned to the assignee of the present application.